


Facing the Past

by CLynnB



Series: Stargate Civilians [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Stargate SG-1, The A-Team (TV), The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Magnificent Seven AU: ATF, Memories, Not a lot of dialogue, Sequel piece, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:08:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29964762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CLynnB/pseuds/CLynnB
Summary: They've been gone a long time. Now they've got to figure out where to start again.
Relationships: Xander Harris/Faith Lehane/Daniel "Oz" Osbourne
Series: Stargate Civilians [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2203962
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel piece to Game Plan. You do, in fact, have to read that one to understand this one. There's not a lot of dialogue in this piece, as it's mostly setting up for more pieces in this series. Just a little ditty to tell how they get along with being so far in the future.

They’d been putting it off, there was no denying that. But, to be fair, they’d had plenty of excuses. Classes to get them up to date with the current technology and societal aspects of life. Paperwork to get them to slide right back into the world without people realizing that they were, in fact, the infamous group that had ‘died’ thirty years ago. And, of course, nerves.

The first week had been simply catching up with the world. Hannibal, B.A., Face and Murdock had had their hands full trying to figure out how things worked. Phones that could fit in your pocket and worked like something out of Star Trek? Slim disks and tiny drives that could hold more information than the computers of their time had been capable of? Not to mention the internet. Holy cow, the internet. 

It had been immensely informative, and somewhat terrifying. Murdock had even managed to get permission to fly some of the new ‘copters and planes that were on base. You know, in case he ever needed to use them. 

The second week had given all the time travelers trips to the mall to get them some clothes and items that they needed to start living again. They’d had a simple budget handed to them, but it was supplemented by the money that Face and Ezra had managed to con off a good portion of the base personnel. (When there had been complaints lodged against them, General Hammond had just laughed and told those complaining that they should learn from this. Hammond had also laughed off the fact that B.A. had broken a few faces of some privates that had made disparaging remarks about Murdock. And laughed off the fact that none of the time travelers were in uniform—they weren’t military personnel, no need for uniforms. And laughed and laughed and laughed when Vin and Ezra and Murdock and Face had managed to blow a hole in one of the walls of the training room. Although at that point, everyone was pretty sure that he was laughing to hide the pain.)

But now, the third week, was where they had to bite the bullet and face the past. They’d rented a car for the trip to Los Angeles, opting to drive rather than face B.A.’s wrath by flying. They needed the time to come to terms with the changes of their home city. And to wrestle with their nerves to do what was needed next.

Colonel O’Neill had called ahead. None of them felt like that was adequate enough.

So they all stood on the porch of the pretty little house in the suburbs of LA. They were dressed in the latest fashions, having gotten a crash course in the styles of the time, but really, with men’s fashion, you couldn’t go wrong with t-shirts and jeans, or in Face’s case, a nice simple suit. No one could seem to make a move towards the doorbell.

They all jumped a little when the door opened. “Well boys, are you going to stand there all day?” Amy asked, smiling at the group. She was older, obviously, well into her fifties, with graying temples and crows feet wrinkles in the corner of her eyes and mouth. She looked good though, and Face was quick to give her a hug, followed by each of the others. “It’s so good to see you boys again,” she whispered.

She led them into her home, motioning them to sit on the couch. “When the Colonel called and told me that you’d been found, I didn’t know what to think. Hannibal, you’re going on ninety and don’t look a day over fifty-five!” she said with a grin.

Hannibal grinned back, shrugging a little. He was chewing on a cigar, but hadn’t lit it, in deference to Amy’s home. “What can I say?” He said humorously. “Time travel does wonder for the skin.”

“The proverbial fountain of youth!” Face said, sitting back with a strained smile. 

Amy just shook her head, smiling. “After you four disappeared, I started looking more into your case. Decker was beside himself, practically foaming at the mouth. But eventually, evidence came up that Morrison had been setting you up for the fall.” She sighed, shaking her head again. “You were pardoned and declared dead at the same time. I was rather shocked when your wills stated me as the beneficiary for all of you.”

Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock all looked to Face, who shrugged with an innocent grin. “I was just making sure all the loose ends were tied up. Just in case,” he said. Clearly, he had forged the documents, including the signatures of his friends. B.A. wondered why Face hadn’t had his mom inherit his own stuff, but realized that the thought probably hadn’t occurred to the man; Face had a tendency to forget that parents were actually a thing that existed sometimes.

Besides, Mama Baracus had passed away nearly fifteen years ago, peacefully in her sleep. With no one to inherit her belongings, they’d all been donated or sold off. 

“I never actually thought that you boys had died. Couldn’t accept it until I saw your bodies myself,” Amy said, leaning forward and clasping her hands. “I boxed up your stuff and set it aside. After twenty years, I donated some of it, but most of it’s still in my garage. Your van and ‘vette are still there, and I’ve had them serviced once a year. I’m so glad you’re not actually dead.” She looked about ready to cry, so Murdock jumped to his feet and gathered her up into a big hug. 

“Well ‘nough about us dead folks,” Murdock said, rocking her gently as she sniffled a little. “What about you? You’re married right! Got yourself a hunk of a man around here somewhere?”

Amy took a deep breath and sat up, wrapping her arms around Murdock in return. “Yes, yes. My Harrison isn’t here now, but that’s probably for the better. I don’t know how I’d explain this.” She grinned. “Married twenty-two years with three beautiful children,” she said.

Hannibal nodded towards a picture on the wall, of Amy, her husband and three teenagers. “That them, then?” he asked.

“Yes,” Amy said, getting to her feet. “My kids are all in college now,” she commented absently, pulling the picture from the wall. “My oldest,” she said, pointing to the oldest boy. “John Bosco, he’s planning on becoming a doctor. The biggest mother-hen you’ve ever seen,” she smiled, raising her eyebrows at Hannibal and B.A. Both men looked both proud and a little insulted. Face and Murdock exchanged delighted looks.

Amy continued with a sigh. “And then my twins,” she said in exasperation, pointing at the boy and girl in the picture. They looked about two years younger than John Bosco, with brown hair and big green eyes. “I don’t know what I was thinking naming them after you two,” she glared at Face and Murdock. “Biggest troublemakers I’ve ever known. Temple and James could get into any mess imaginable.” She shook her head and then grinned. “Tempy really takes after her namesake,” she said slyly. “Could talk you out of your own teeth and sell them back to you and still leave you thinking you got the better end of the deal.”

Amy returned the picture to the wall. “And James! Such an imaginative boy. He’s a writer. Already published a few children’s books.” She turned towards the four men, hands on hips, eyes warm and face happy. “They grew up on stories about you four,” she said softly. 

They continued talking for the next two hours, but it was stilted and a little awkward. Hannibal had to stop himself from calling Amy ‘kid’, since she was now a couple years older than he was. For them, only a few weeks had passed since they’d last seen each other; for her thirty years. It just wasn’t easy.

Amy had given them the two vehicles, with registration and papers proving that they’d ‘bought’ them off her. They’d have to get new licenses and all, but honestly, the fact that they could do so legally was still a little weird to them. It could wait.

The four split up in the city. And they didn’t come back together for another three days, each wandering off to refamiliarize themselves with their old home. By the end of the three days, when they met up at the corner where Lee’s Laundry used to be, none of the four looked all that happy. In fact, they looked downright sad.

“Don’t feel like home no more,” B.A. said sadly, looking up at the giant skyscrapers.

“The VA is gone,” Murdock murmured, leaning back against Face’s Corvette. They’d known that ahead of time, of course, but there was a difference between knowing and seeing.  
Face was staring at the back-to-back traffic that cluttered the city. “Seems rather bleak, doesn’t it?” he asked, his hands in his pockets.

Hannibal sighed, putting out his cigar and thumping his knuckles against the side of the van. “Well kids,” he drawled. “LA isn’t home anymore, but we have a place to go back to. Colorado Springs has a house with plenty of room for the four of us and the promise of a job that will keep us busy.”

The others nodded and quickly plans were hashed out. Murdock would be riding in the Corvette with Face, and Hannibal and B.A. would be in the van. Their belongings, what little they had, were stored in the back of the van. Amy had donated most of their clothing, with exception to a few jackets—like Face’s leather jacket—and B.A.’s jewelry. Murdock actually had the most belongings, having had a place at the VA, but they were mostly books and comics. She’d replaced his VHS collection with the DVD versions of the same shows a while back, in a fit of nostalgia. Frankly, it was a bit of a sad haul, but they hadn’t been able to accumulate many items, being on the run and all.

With a sigh, the boys piled into their vehicles and started the drive back to Colorado, leaving the past behind them in the city of angels.


	2. Chapter Two -- The Magnificent Seven

Twenty years was a long time to be gone. Even if it had only been a couple weeks for the seven men, they had to reconcile the fact that the lives they’d had before were not anything more than a memory. It was a hard thing to take in; unlike the A-Team, the Magnificent Seven had had roots and homes and families even if none of them had been married yet.

They holed up in the VIP rooms of the SGC, only leaving for the classes to reintroduce them to the latest in technology, and to eat. They scoured through the paperwork that Hammond had managed to find for them, letting them know what had happened to everything they’d cared for.

Judge Travis had scoured the country for them after their disappearance. No one had believed that seven men, especially these seven men, could just disappear and leave no trace. But after five years, they’d been declared dead. There just wasn’t any evidence to support otherwise. 

Chris’s ranch had gone to Mary, who in turn had given it to Billy when he’d graduated college. The horses, of course, were gone. Billy ran the ranch as Chris had, just housing his own livestock and horses, as he ran his mother’s paper. Mary had passed away from cancer just seven years ago. All of Chris’s belongings had been either sold, donated, or boxed up. Hammond had seized the boxes with the memories of Sarah and Adam for the man, citing an investigation. Billy hadn’t asked and had just handed them over.

Two boxes were all that were left of Chris’s wife and son, of his life before the alien kidnapping. He wasn’t pleased but wasn’t going to throw a fit about it. He decided not to contact Billy; the boy was twenty-seven now, newly married and happily settled. There was no reason to upset him now.

Josiah’s papers and effects were less than Chris’s. His sister had passed eighteen years ago and hadn’t left behind anything significant. Josiah himself hadn’t had any living relatives, so all his effects were auctioned off. He had nothing left aside from photographs that JD had digitized for him a long time ago. JD had uploaded photos for all of them onto a secure internet drive, and despite the years, they were still there.

Nathan’s family had moved on without him. His two sisters had both gotten married and had multiple children. His parents had passed on before they’d even gone missing, so there weren’t any loose ends there. But Raine…he’d been planning to propose soon to his lovely Raine. He’d sighed sadly when he saw that she had eventually gotten married, six years after they’d disappeared. She had two children now, one of which named Nathan. Nathan didn’t see any reason to disturb her happy life, even if he selfishly wanted to see her again. 

He wouldn’t be making any contact with his family; they were twenty years into thinking he was gone. And his little sisters were now so much older than him. It wouldn’t be fair.  
Buck didn’t have anyone to leave behind except, maybe, Inez. He’d had plenty of lovely ladies turn up at his funeral, apparently, but no one permanent had been in his life. Inez was a great friend, though, and his will had left all belongings to her, as he had no living family aside from his band of brothers. She’d held onto a few memories, but otherwise donated his items and sold his and JD’s condo. There was a lot of deliberation on if the men would go and see Inez—she was a great friend to all of them—but in the end they hadn’t yet decided. 

JD had been rather upset when he realized that being twenty years in the future meant that he would no longer be seeing Casey Wells. In fact, Casey had gotten married about twelve years ago, to a nice lawyer, and the two of them had three children. They lived out on Nettie’s old ranch, with Casey keeping up the ranch and even helping Billy out from time to time on his. JD fought with himself for a while, going to each of his friends for advice, but finally decided to leave matters be. Casey didn’t deserve to have her life thrown into turmoil by his showing up. He didn’t have any belongings, other than the photos he’d put online. 

Ezra was probably the most upset about losing his Jaguar. All of his other belongings didn’t matter much to him; he’d never been a materialistic person despite wearing expensive clothing. He’d never thought that he’d be putting down roots in Denver, when Chris had hired him for his team, and when he’d grown attached and decided he was staying, he hadn’t gotten around to actually settling. So when he glanced over his paperwork and saw that Maude had, almost immediately after his disappearance, filed for his life insurance policy and sold off all his belongings, including his townhouse and car, he wasn’t terribly upset. Maybe a little disappointed that his mother seemed more inclined to get money from his vanishing than she was concerned about his wellbeing, but that was just Maude.

For that matter, Maude had died just four years ago, peacefully in her sleep. With that, Ezra had no one left to his name, so there was nothing left to inherit or hold.   
Vin was the same, really, in that there was no one left to see. The only person he’d been really concerned about was Miss Nettie, but she had died fifteen years ago, leaving everything to Casey. His belongings had all been donated or sold off, and he hadn’t really had much to begin with. He was just glad that the few pictures he had of his parents had been put on that drive of JD’s. At least he had access to those. 

Honestly, the seven men had decided that they would just start from scratch. They filled out the paperwork, keeping their names and birthdates, although they moved the years around some. They learned about this new future and were incredibly pleased with the way technology had advanced. Society…well, it could be worse. 

The first week in the SGC was for the classes and for reconciling their past. The second week had them going out to the mall to gather the new essentials. Ezra, with plenty of help from Face, had managed to con quite a few of the base personnel out of their cash, and the men had shared the bounty among the fourteen displaced people. The third week was spent looking over the paperwork for the jobs that Hammond had offered them, as well as choosing who would be living with whom and in which houses. (They hadn’t seen the houses yet, just been given brief descriptions, but that was fine.)

Hammond wanted them as a rescue team for the SG first-contact teams, as well as backup for the A-Team. No entirely undoable, Chris had reasoned. They’d all be using their skills at any given point, especially when backing up the A-Team, and it would be a job that would keep them on their toes. Plus, they’d all be allowed to stay together as a team. SG7 would be their given title, although they’d been told that the original SG7 had all died many years ago. Already around the base there had been some people calling them SGMag7, instead. None of the men seemed to care.

(There was a little bit of a problem when General Hammond was frankly told that none of them would take up military assignments for this job. They would remain civilians and be treated as such. General Hammond would be their boss, not their General. And they pretty much refused to wear the uniform. The General hadn’t been happy at first, but apparently the A-Team and the Council team had said the exact same thing, so he’d given in after a few days of thought.)

When the three weeks were up, and they were turning in the signed contracts to General Hammond, there were no hard feelings. They’d all come to peace with their decisions. Whether or not they would visit Inez would be something to discuss later, but for now, the seven men were ready to start over. 

They’d leave the past in the past and focus on their futures instead.


	3. Chapter Three -- The Council

“Sure this is a good idea?” Faith asked quietly.

Xander shrugged. “We can’t put it off any longer,” he replied, anxiously reaching for Oz’s hand. The wolf just sighed and shifted a little before pulling both Xander and Faith towards the rental car kiosk. 

They’d spent the last two weeks at the SGC, and had never thought that being under a mountain could be comfortable. Luckily, the facility was big enough that even Vin didn’t feel too claustrophobic, but it was good to be back out in the sun for a bit. 

Ten years…it wasn’t as long as the others had been gone, but it was still a significant amount of time. Fortunately, they’d only had a few upgrades in technology to learn about—the A-Team hadn’t even know that the internet was a thing, and for the three that had grown up with it, that was hard to even imagine. 

Honestly, the three hadn’t needed to stay in the SGC as long as they had, they were just trying to work up the nerves to visit the Council building in Cleveland. Hammond had already told them that Giles had called the day they’d arrived through the ‘Gate. But Xander had been in the infirmary, and then they had just sort of balked at going back. Willow was going to lecture them something awful, and Buffy was sure to throw a bit of a fit. 

Ten years was a long time to go missing.

The drive from the airport to the Council House was quiet. There’d been a bit of discussion about the house that the SGC was setting up for them. Hammond was incredibly confident that all fourteen of the time travelers would take him up on his job offers that he’d already bought the houses and put them in their names. The trip to the mall last week had allowed for them to pick up a few essentials, but Xander had said that Willow would have known if they had died (and, honestly, when they’d looked into it, these three had never actually been declared dead) and would have held on to more of their stuff. 

Not that they had a lot, mind, having lost most of it in the fall of Sunnydale and then been travelling through Africa right after. So much travel didn’t allow for the accumulation of stuff, as the A-Team could attest to as well. 

It only took as long as parking the car and walking up the front door for them to be tackled by a redhead. She barreled into them, talking a mile a minute in a very angry voice, although the hugs and kisses she was giving all three of them were telling them that she was more pleased than anything to have them back.

“Calm down Willow,” Xander murmured, finally prying her away and holding her at arm’s length. She looked good. Older, of course, and more matronly. Thirty-two years old now, he supposed. She’d cut her hair, into a short bob, but it looked really good on her. “We’re here and we’re fine.”

“That Mr. General Man said you’d been hurt,” Willow said, after catching her breath and giving all three a look over. They looked exactly as she remembered; hadn’t aged a day.

“Just a little,” Xander said, ushering her into the house, Faith and Oz right behind them. They ignored the eyes of all the slayers peeking around the corners. “Where’s Giles? And Buffy?”

“In the office,” Willow said, leading the way to the back of the building. “Oh it’s so good to have you back.”

“Not sure how long we’re stayin, Red,” Faith murmured, and then winced at the heartbroken look that Willow shot her. “Just sayin’, yo.”

The moment they entered the office, Buffy was yelling at them. She didn’t let them get a word in edgewise, just yelling about how dare they disappear for ten years and then show up like nothing had happened. How dare they let them worry and grieve and wonder what happened and and and…

Xander finally had enough and yelled at her to shut up.

“Wasn’t our choice,” Oz grumbled, folding his arms and glaring at Buffy, who looked shocked that Xander had yelled at her. Buffy was looking older as well, and ‘retirement’ had been good for her. She hardly went out slaying anymore, just training the newbies now, but her attitude as alpha needed a bit of a challenge.

Xander glanced at Giles, who was quietly watching them, hands folded on the desk as though he was refraining from reaching out. Giles was probably in the know about everything that had happened up to and including the job offers. “We didn’t decide to be kidnapped by alien demons and sent to a different planet ten years in the future,” Xander explained. “For us, it’s only been a couple weeks.”

Buffy took a deep breath and then settled, reaching out and pulling all three into a big hug. “I’m sorry. It’s just been so long…and it was so hard.”

“I get that,” Xander said. He stepped back, and then skirted the side of the desk to embrace Giles as well, Faith and Oz quickly following. “And we’re sorry.”

They settled into the chairs, each talking over each other for a few minutes until things settled down. Giles, Buffy and Willow gave the three the rundown of what had been happening for the past decade, and Xander, Faith and Oz explained more fully about their kidnapping and subsequent stay at the SGC. 

And then they brought up the job offer.

To say that Willow and Buffy weren’t happy was a bit of an understatement. To say that Giles seemed pleased wouldn’t have been.

“We need someone there,” Giles finally said. He adjusted his glasses, looking steadily at all five of his children. He was older now, Xander noticed, more wrinkled, more tired and more gray. But still so steadfast. “And you’ve shot down every team that we’ve tried to put together,” Giles continued, leveling an exasperated glare at Buffy. “Quite frankly, Xander is the perfect man for the job, and where he goes, Faith and Oz go.”

“But—”

“No buts, Buff,” Xander cut in. “This is our decision.”

“It’s the military, Xan,” Willow pointed out. She shot Oz a look that conveyed a mix of betrayal and concern. “How can you work with the military?”

Oz sighed. “They’re good people, Willow. For the most part anyway,” he amended, because he’d seen some of the privates there and hadn’t felt a lick of guilt at watching Face and Ezra con them out of their money. Granted, Hammond had mentioned something about the NID and how they’d managed to infiltrate the SGC from time to time. Sounded a bit like the Initiative but with more backing, honestly.

“We’ll be living out in Colorado Springs,” Xander said, sitting back. Buffy and Willow looked ready to cry, but he wasn’t going to let that change his mind. They’d spent ten years without him or his companions; they could live with them living half a country away. “We won’t be traveling too much, unless we’re off-world.” Or the A-Team needs help with something, which was a possibility. He didn’t bring that up.

And then they sat back to discuss some of the finer points.

By the end of their third day at the Council House, the three were ready to go back to Colorado. They were tired of being stared at and whispered about. They were tired of Willow and Buffy trying to guilt them out of working with the military. They were just tired. 

Giles had boxed up their few belongings as well as a veritable mountain of books and weapons for them to take along, and they’d rented a large van for the trip back. Eventually they’d get around to buying their own cars, but that wasn’t important at the time. 

Hugs and well wishes were passed around, as well as promises to keep in touch. There was also the promise of keeping a guest room or two open in their new house, as a safe place for travelling Slayer teams to stop by. (Xander wouldn’t be surprised if Dawn was one of the frequent visitors—she’d been extremely pleased to see their return and had been happy that they seemed to have found a place to settle.) 

And then the three left, leaving Cleveland and their old Council life mostly behind them. 

Ten years was a long time, after all. And sometimes, it was best to just move on.


End file.
